Lamp-shade support



July 22 392 LEGZSOE w. F. LENT ET AL LAMP SHADE SUPPORT Filed March 21, 1921 Y Mars: Geor y/e942 fidnmaia, wiivzwfifi emf,

Patented July 22, 1924.

WILMAR F. BENT AND GEORGE L. HINTEAN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, .AS- SIGNORS TO THE GREIST ,MANUFACTUR-ING COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN, CON- NECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

LAMP-SHADE SUPPORT.

Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 454,289.

To all whom it'ma/y concern:

Be it known that we, WILMAR F. LENT and Gnonen L. HINMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lamp-Shade Supports, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to portable lamps, and more particularly to means for support ing the shades of such lamps.

A very important feature of the invention is comprised in a construction for supporting a lamp shade from. the bulb of an electric lamp by means, including a universal joint, which permits such relative movement of the shade and lamp that the shade may be located angularly with reference to the axis of the lamp and in a variety of positions. Such capacity for adjustment of the shade enables the light to be screened so as to remove the glare thereof from the eyes of the user, regardless of the position which he occupies relatively to the lamp.

Preferably the means for effecting universal adjustment of the lamp shade relatively to the bulb of the lamp comprises a ball and socket joint which may be support: ed from the bulb by suitable clamping devices, such as wire coils which extend from the cage of the ball and socket joint suspended from the shade, and are adapted to resiliently connect such cage with the lamp bulb.

The foregoing and. other important features of this invention, such as valuable details of construction and arrangement of parts will be better understood from the folowing description, and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation, partly sectional, a portable lamp with the present improvements Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the ball and socket joint and other related parts; 7

' Figure 3 is a plan view of ball cage;

Figure 4 is a side view of the same part;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the wire holding plate;

Figure 6 is an edge view thereof;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the washer;

Figure 8 is an edge view thereof;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a spring ball washer; and I Figure 10 is an edge view thereof.

The lamp, as illustrated in Figure 1, may comprise a base 1, switch plug socket 2, which is connected to said base by hinged joint 8, and the usual electric light bulb 4t, and a shade 5. The present improvements are concerned entirely with the means for supporting the shade 5 from the bulb 4 and such means is of a character to permit relative adjustment of the shade and bulb so that the former may be tilted at various angles to the'latter and these angular adjustments may be made upon all sides of the bulb, and at any angle desired. Such capacity for adjustment is permitted by a ball and socket, orother suitable universal joint connection between the shade and the means supporting the shade from the bulb 4'. As herein shown, a suitable number, such as three, coils of wire (3, provided with upwardly extending wire stems 7, resiliently grip the sides of the bulb at substantially equi-distant points. As herein shown there are three wire coils, but it is obvious that a greater'or lesser number may be employed, if desired.

A. suitable cage 12', formed of sheet metal,

has a central opening 18, and spaced outwardly projecting flanges 14c which are bent vertically at 120. and have at their upper edges lugs 16. The upstanding flanges 1:20 of the cage are also provided with laterally extending llOOlC-Sllil'PGCl' cars 18. A plate 22, circular in form and provided. with a cen tral aperture 24., and equally spaced upwardly bent portions 25 is placed over the top of the cage 12. The plate 22 has spaced slots 26 which receive the lugs 16 of the cage 12, the lugs extending through said slots and upwardly beyond the surface of the plate. Interposed between the top of the cage 12 and the plate 22 is a washer 15 provided in its periphery with equi-distant recesses 27, through which extend the lugs 16 of the cage. The washer 15 is furthermore provided with curved recesses 28 which, when the parts are assembled, are located directly beneath the upwardly bent portions 25 of the plate 22. The spring ball washer 10 comprises a plate having a plurality of radiating legs 11 which extend downwardly from the central body portion of the washer and support the same in the cage 12 over the central aperture 13 thereof. The washer 10 is made of tempered steel or other suitable resilient material. The ball 30 is enclosed by the cage 12 and the lower portion of said ball rests in the concaved central plate portion of the washer 10, while the upper part of the ball extends through the central aperture 31 of the washer 15 and the aperture 24 of the ball washer 22. The stems 7 of the coils 6 are provided with inwardly bent angular portions 32. Said stems extend upwardly through the hook-shaped ears 18 of the cage 12, thence through the recesses 27 of the washer 15, and are then bent inwardly as at 32 and enter the space formed between the upper face of the washer and the bent portions 25 of the plate 22. When the parts have been assembled in the manner herein described the lugs 16 which extend through the slots 26 of the plate are bent over upon said plate, thus firmly fastening together the cage, spring washer 10, washer 15 and plate 22, together with the ball 30, which latter is confined within the cage with capacity to permit relative turning movement with said cage, in all directions.

The ball 30 is provided with a flange 33 and a threaded shank 34 which engages an internal thread of a handle member 35 which is located external of the shade 5 when the parts are assembled. A washer 36 is interposed between the inner central portion of the shade and the flange 33, and the shank 34 passes through a central aperture in the shade and washer and is caused to have screw threaded engagement with the handle 35. When the parts 35 and 30 are rotated relatively to cause the threaded connection therebetween to draw the parts together,

the shade will be clamped firmly between the flange 33 of the ball 30 and a flange 38 on the handle 35.

WVith the various parts assembled, it will be seen that the shade 5 may be turned to present various angles to the lamp bulb 4 so as to screen the light from the eyes, at any side of the lamp and at substantially any angle to the axis thereof, thus providing for unrestricted movement of the shade, regardless of the position of the lamp, whether it be on a table, a desk, suspended from the wall, or in fact whatever its location. In addition to the adjustments provided by the universal joint consisting of the ball 30, cage 12, and washer 10, and other parts thereof, additional adjustments are permitted, to a certain extent, by movement of the coils 6, bodily, on the lamp bulb. The range of angular adjustments permitted by movement of the coils 6 is more limited than that afforded by the ball and socket joint, but these two adjustments may be used in conjunction with each other and when combined will provide for a wider range or greater variation in the angular adjustments of the shade, than would be permitted by the employment of the ball and socket oint alone.

What is claimed is:

1. I11 a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of wire coils for embracing a lamp bulb, a cage having laterally bent parts to receive the stems of said coils, a ball in said cage, clamping means for securing the wires tosaid cage and for retaining the ball therein, and a lamp shade connected with said ball.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of resilient wire coils provided with shanks, a ball cage having laterally bent portions to embrace said shanks, a washer on said cage, a plate on said washer constructed to receive the bent ends of said shanks, a ball in said cage, a resilient washer sustaining said ball, means for clamping said parts together, and a lamp shade sustained from said ball.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 11th day of March,

WILMAR LENT. GEORGE L. HINMAN. 

